Pictured: Wollongong Climate Action Network’s Alexandra McPaul with (from left), John Spira, Michele Kenworthy, Rowan Huxtable, Maureen Magee and Theresa Huxtable will gather on Flagstaff Hill tomorrow. Credit: ROBERT PEET
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Illawarra residents will don their finest scorching orange and red gear on Sunday, as part of a nationwide call for action on climate change.
More than 100 people are expected to gather at Wollongong’s Flagstaff Hill to sign a petition and film a video, calling on the government to take a national stance on climate change issues.
The Illawarra event is one of hundreds of similar rallies being organised across Australia as climate change activists mark the national day of climate action.
Wollongong Climate Action Network spokesperson Alexandra McPaul said that the group was keen to be part of the nationwide initiative.
‘‘We really want to see the government make a stance on this,’’ she said.
‘‘As a group, we believe climate change is real and science has proven it.
‘‘We want to push our views forward to the government to encourage them to take real action – they need to be leading this cause, not standing back, especially as we continue to be impacted by extreme weather events.’’
Organisers will interview those who attend on the day, asking for their thoughts on climate change and their own experiences with climate initiatives.
Ms McPaul said she became conscious of the effects of climate change after watching a documentary on glaciers.
‘‘There were photos of glaciers over a long period of time and you could see how they had changed and diminished,’’ she said.
‘‘It was such a powerful image and it made me realise we need to do something – you could see the impacts and it’s the same with things like rising sea levels; the Illawarra is such a low-lying region so it could have an effect.’’
Sunday’s event kicks off at 10am.
For more information, visit www.getup.org.au.